In sports and pastimes that employ a hand held elongated implement like a bat, hammer, stick, racket, club, or the like, the implement is swung to impact a stationary or moving target like a ball or puck. The amount of energy transferred from the implement to the target is proportional to the speed at which the implement is swung and the effectiveness of the transfer of energy is related to good technique, which includes good balance, timing and tempo. It has been found that the most efficient transfer of energy between a swung implement and the intended target occurs when the implement is still accelerating at the moment of impact. This has been variously referred to as follow through, power transfer, and Ki in Martial Arts, amongst many other terms. The same holds true for linear acceleration of a sports implement such as a javelin.
Using sound as a signal path to the human brain has been established as a very effective bio-feedback pathway, as it can be integrated, in real-time, into most human physical activity at both a conscious and sub-conscious level. Also, the presence of sound associated with a physical activity is not of itself a distraction from the activity, in the way that flash or strobe lighting, or harnesses with image targets or wiring might be.
Further, as a general principle the use of a real-time bio-feedback does not require any metric or finite measure to be output or recorded. A bio-feedback instrument only needs to provide an indicative response to the user that suggests that the user is moving a chosen biological or physical parameter in a positive direction or trend.
A number of patent applications have been filed for devices which provide swing data. United States Patent Application US2006/0052173 in the name of Telford teaches a swing speed analyser releasably mounted on a golf club and includes an accelerometer and a display to display swing speed at impact. Telford does not, however, provide real-time biometric feedback to the user. U.S. Pat. No. 7,160,200 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,261,102 both teach audio biometric feedback systems having accelerometers on an implement to be swung, transmitters of the signal generated by the accelerometer and a remote receiver for receiving the signal. The described preferred embodiments of these systems thus comprise two discrete parts and as such may be cumbersome, complex and not entirely user friendly. During bio-feedback, it may be helpful if feedback is only provided during a part of the swing when swing speed exceeds a threshold. None of the prior art systems provide an adjustable swing speed threshold from which audible feedback is provided.